"Quick, go check it out!"

The old woman could no longer care about Lin Mu and immediately dashed toward the village gate.

At the same time, the people of Bai Miao Village heard the commotion. Countless individuals rushed out from their bamboo houses, led by several clan elders, and hurried over.

Seeing the dead and wounded villagers and the sky-high flames, the old woman's face immediately turned incredibly grim.

"What exactly happened?"

"The people from Heimiao Village are attacking us!" The patrolling Bai Miao villager was terrified; if the clan elders hadn't been there, he might have fled. "Apart from the High Priest of Heimiao Village, everyone from the Nine Villages and Eighteen Caves has been mobilized. Even the five Great Chieftains have come in person!"

"What?" Upon hearing this, the old woman's expression grew even more grim.

For a moment, the hearts of everyone in Bai Miao Village were filled with trepidation. Their faces were pale with fear, their bodies trembling. The population of Bai Miao Village was small, and their peak combat power was no match for Heimiao Village. Against the combined forces from the Nine Villages and Eighteen Caves, how could Bai Miao Village possibly stop Heimiao Village's attack?

After years of recuperation, the people of Bai Miao Village have barely regained some vitality. Is our entire tribe going to be wiped out here today? The old woman's heart filled with bitter hatred.

She led a group of people to the village gate, only to see the open ground below lit by a dense mass of torches. The uniform black robes and headscarves fluttered like flags of death. The four black-clothed elders in the lead had tattooed faces and emanated a powerful aura.

The old woman climbed onto the wall, her face dark as she looked down at the five elders below. "Xiao Su, what is the meaning of this? Do you intend to go to war with Bai Miao Village?"

"Hahaha, Li Xuan, you old hag! Your Bai Miao Village killed my Heimiao Village's Second Elder and even our kinsman Sang Kui. This enmity is irreconcilable! By the High Priest's decree, today, we shall flatten your Bai Miao Village!"

The man called Xiao Su was the Patriarch of the Xiao Family, one of the Nine Villages. His head was wrapped in a black cloth. Even more terrifying was the huge, multicolored spider in front of him, which was the size of a small calf.

"Bullshit!" the Second Elder roared in fury. "Your Heimiao Village has killed plenty of our people over the years! Furthermore, our agreement with the High Priest isn't over for another day. Aren't you afraid of the Great God Chiyou's wrath for attacking Bai Miao Village now?"

The Great God Chiyou was the ancestor of the San Miao and the Nine Li, the deity worshipped by all the people of the Li Clan.

Xiao Su gave a cold laugh. "I'll count to ten. Open the gates and surrender without resistance. Otherwise, don't blame me for slaughtering everyone in your Bai Miao Village!"

"Then we'll fight! As if the people of Bai Miao Village are afraid of death!" Li Zhou gripped his Miao Knife, ready to charge down.

"That's right! We'll defend Bai Miao Village to the death!"

"Defend Bai Miao Village to the death!"

The people of Bai Miao Village roared, brandishing their weapons. Their voices were thunderous, their will to fight intense.

"Good!" the old woman bellowed. "You are all worthy sons of Bai Miao Village!"

The Second Elder's fighting spirit erupted. "Warriors of Bai Miao Village, today Heimiao Village seeks to destroy our home and kill our people! How can we stand by and wait for death? Attack!"

"Kill! Kill! Kill!"

The rage of Bai Miao Village was completely ignited.

"Lai Lai, I'm going to have the Third Elder take you away in a moment," the old woman grabbed Li Lai's hand and whispered. "Listen to me, for the sake of the Li Clan's heritage!"

"Grandmother, I am the Saintess of Bai Miao Village. How can I leave?" Li Lai's eyes were red as she stubbornly refused.

"It is precisely because you are the Saintess of Bai Miao Village that you must leave!" the old woman said sternly. "Heimiao Village came prepared today. With the people we have, we cannot possibly withstand them. The Third Elder has already gathered the village's underage children. You must leave with them!"

"Grandmother..." Tears streamed down Li Lai's beautiful face.

"Lai Lai, go!" At that moment, the Third Elder grabbed Li Lai's hand and began to retreat swiftly.

"Go!" the old woman said, her own eyes brimming with tears as she looked at Li Lai with great reluctance.

No longer resisting, Li Lai followed the Third Elder.

However, the Third Elder gripped Li Lai's wrist tightly and quickened his pace, charging down into the fray. As they moved, he ruthlessly struck down any Bai Miao villagers they encountered. In the blink of an eye, several of their own people had been killed.

"Li Xu, what are you doing?!" the old woman howled, her eyes nearly splitting with fury.

"Third Grandpa..." Li Lai was completely stunned with fright.

Everyone who witnessed this stared in disbelief. Li Xu was the Third Elder of Bai Miao Village, his strength at the Late Stage of Inner Strength. He was in charge of the clan's affairs. No one ever expected him to betray them!

"Hahaha! Li Xuan, you old hag, didn't see that coming, did you? Your Bai Miao Village's Li Xu pledged his allegiance to the High Priest long ago!" Xiao Su laughed heartily from below. "And I don't mind telling you, it was Li Xu who told us about your repeated attempts to send people out for help."

BOOM! The old woman felt as if she had been struck by lightning. She stared in disbelief at Li Xu slaughtering their kinsmen below and wretched, spitting out a mouthful of blood.

"Li Xu, may you suffer a horrible death!"

"My apologies, Li Xuan. The High Priest's power is supreme, and I do not wish to perish alongside Bai Miao Village. Pledging my allegiance is the only chance for survival," Li Xu said with chilling indifference.

"Then... what about the children?" Li Xuan managed to ask, suppressing her terror.

"They were, of course, sent to Heimiao Village long ago," Li Xu said with a cruel smile.

"You..." Li Xuan felt the world spin, and she coughed up another mouthful of blood.

"Li Xu, I will kill you!" The Second Elder's aura surged explosively as he prepared to strike.

However, with a thunderous BOOM, the village gates burst open.

The warriors of Heimiao Village swarmed in like ants.

"Kill them all! Flatten Bai Miao Village and leave no one alive!" Xiao Su roared in ecstasy, waving his hand. Behind him, thousands of Heimiao Village warriors poured through the gates. Some fired arrows while others released poisonous Gu. In an instant, the entire village was overrun with snakes, insects, rats, and ants, and the air filled with ceaseless, agonized screams.

Bai Miao Village only had Li Xuan and the Second Elder as Half-step Grandmasters, and both were old, their vitality diminished, which greatly reduced their combat power. Li Xu's betrayal was a devastating blow, widening the already immense gap between the two villages.

Li Xuan fought against two opponents by herself, and the Second Elder managed to hold off two more. But there was also a fifth, Zhao Heng, the Clan Leader of the Zhao Family, whose power was very close to the Half-step Grandmaster stage. With every move he made, more people from Bai Miao Village met a tragic end.

"Zhao Heng, you old beast! May you suffer a horrible death!" Watching this, Li Xuan's eyes nearly burst from their sockets in rage.

But in her moment of distraction, Xiao Su found an opening. He struck Li Xuan with his palm, sending her flying.

"Li Xuan, you're old. Bai Miao Village should have submitted to the High Priest long ago." Xiao Su slowly approached her, ready to deliver the killing blow.

"Xiao Su! You killed my father years ago! Today is the day you die!"

Just as Xiao Su was about to strike, a furious shout erupted. A crimson slash of blade light whistled through the air, aimed directly at him.

Not good! Xiao Su quickly retreated.

CRACK!

The blade light slammed down. Though it missed Xiao Su, it carved a massive fissure in the ground before him.

"You are... Li Xiaotian!" Xiao Su's pupils shrank as he recognized the one-armed Daoist standing before him. "You're actually not dead?!"

Clutching the Heavenly Punishment Blade, Li Xiaotian spoke in a chilling tone, "Of course I'm not dead. Which means today, you most certainly are!"

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